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Filmmaker Randy Shattuck is the producer and director of “Riverkids: The Found Children of Cambodia,” a documentary that will air on PBS next year. Recounting how and why child trafficking occurs in Cambodia and, by extension, throughout...

Filmmaker Randy Shattuck is the producer and director of “Riverkids: The Found Children of Cambodia,” a documentary that will air on PBS next year. Recounting how and why child trafficking occurs in Cambodia and, by extension, throughout the world starts with interviews of authorities on the subject and then delves into the underbelly of Cambodian life. Much of the film’s audio was captured with Countryman microphones.

The sistertraveller is running a marathon this month in support of the Walk Without Fear Foundation – it’s an extremely important cause and I wanted to share this with all of you.
In her own words:
I’m running the Oct ...

The sistertraveller is running a marathon this month in support of the Walk Without Fear Foundation – it’s an extremely important cause and I wanted to share this with all of you.
In her own words:
I’m running the Oct 20 Scotiabank Half Marathon in Toronto to support Mines Action Canada’s Walk Without Fear Foundation. The Foundation raises money to contribute to victim assistance in mine-affected countries, support clearance operations, and improve mine risk education. When I was in Cambodia, I saw firsthand the difference that funding like this can make in vulnerable communities for people with disability. There are at least 1 million landmines left in Cambodia – it’s one of the most heavily mined countries in the world after Afghanistan and Colombia. Even though many of these mines were laid in the late 1970s and early 1980s, and Cambodia no longer has violent conflict, they remain in the ground to this day. As victim-activated weapons, they cannot distinguish whether the person causing their detonation is a soldier or a child – and in peace time, the majority of the accidents are happening to civilians.
Canada had an important role in the 1997 Mine Ban Treaty, and worked closely with the International Campaign to Ban Landmines to ensure that these weapons are no longer used by militaries. To date, 161 countries have joined the treaty, pledging not to use, manufacture, stockpile, or transfer these weapons. It’s one of the most successful international treaties in the world, but signing the treaty is only the beginning. Because an accident with a landmine is only the first moment of a transformed life. People with disability in places like Cambodia have little support, access to medical care, or opportunities to improve their lives. In supporting the Walk Without Fear Foundation, we can ensure these people receive the support they need long after their accident to live a fulfilling life, we can clear the minefields in their communities, and we can spread mine risk education to ensure other members of their communities will remain safe from these weapons.
Three of my close friends in Cambodia were missing one or both of their legs. One is in a wheelchair, one has never been able to run in her life, and one happens to be a pretty amazing soccer player with his prosthetic.
But I can run, and I want to run to support them.
Your donation to the Walk Without Fear Foundation can go a long way in this support. All you have to do is go to http://bit.ly/rwfdonate, click on “In Honour of”, type in my name [Devin], and then, in the “reason” category, write in “your run without fear.” And then, think positively about me on October 20!
Thanks so much for your support, I really appreciate it.
Images from walkwithoutfear.ca
Learn more about Mines Action Canada: www.minesactioncanada.org

Asian treasures on display at Vietnam History Museum
VietNamNet Bridge - An exhibition entitled “Asia-Colorful Culture” will open on October 8 at the Vietnam National Museum of History, displaying nearly 100 ancient treasures of many ...

Asian treasures on display at Vietnam History Museum
VietNamNet Bridge - An exhibition entitled “Asia-Colorful Culture” will open on October 8 at the Vietnam National Museum of History, displaying nearly 100 ancient treasures of many Asian countries like India, South Korea, Indonesia, Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and China.
The exhibits include architectural materials, household appliances, ornaments, and worship objects made from such materials as bronze, clay, stone, terra cotta, wood, silver, gem and ivory.
The host country’s exhibits are bronze worship objects dating back to the Le-Nguyen Dynasty in the 15th-19th century.
The exhibition will run through January 2014.
The exhibition is held on the occasion of the 4th Conference of Asian National Museum Association 2013 (ANMA 4). The event, with the theme “Museums Contribute to Social Change,” will take place from October 7-9 at the Vietnam National Museum of History.
This item is made of gold, pearl and crystal (Vietnam, Nguyen Dynasty, 19-20th centuries).
Pottery vase of Vietnam, Later Le Dynasty, 15th century. This item was salvaged from an ancient shipwreck in Cham Island, Hoi An twon, Quang Nam province.
Earrings made of gem stone and glass of Vietnam, Sa Huynh culture, about 2500-2000 years ago.
Earrings made of gem stone and glass of Vietnam, Dong Nai culture, about 2500-2000 years ago, from the Giong Ca Vo archaelogical site in Ho Chi Minh City.
The Vishnu of Cambodia, Angkor period, 11-12th centuries.
Wooden statue of a dancer of Cambodia, 19-20th centuries.
Silver enamel inlaid bowl of Cambodia, 19th century.
Rectangular box decorated with leaf and geometric patterns, made of wood inlaid with mother-of-pearl of Cambodia, 19th century.
Polygonal box decorated with flowers and geometric patterns, made of wood inlaid with mother-of-pearl and glass of Cambodia, 19th century.
Pen holder carved with 18 Buddhas of China, the Qing Dynasty, Qianlong reign (1736-1795).
The gem item from China, the Qing Dynasty, 18th century.
Pillow made of gem from China, the Qing Dynasty, 18th century.
Avalokitesvara stone reliefs of India, Pala Empire, the 10th century.
Bronze statue of Kuan-yin of India in the 17-18th centuries.
Colorful ceramic plates of Japan, Edo period, Kutani style, 17-18th centuries.
Shiva on the back of Nandin bull statue, made of gold-plated bronze of Thailand, 19th century.
Silver bowl of Thai Lan, Chakri period, 19th century.
Bencharong multi-colored ceramic bowl of Thailand, the Chakri period, 18-19th centuries.
T. Le

Pumpkin Seed Atta Sourdough Batard, Trial 1 & 2Submitted by bakingbadly on October 8, 2013 - 10:33pm. Three weeks ago I attempted Marcus's Polenta Pepita Sourdough formula, with a few adaptations. I substituted the pumpkin seeds with sunflower seeds, replaced the whole wheat flour with medium rye flour, and adjusted a few procedures to suit tropical conditions. Pumpkin Seed Atta Sourdough Batard, Trial 1The following week I wanted to try a more authentic version of Marcus's formula. Pumpkin seeds were finally in stock (and very costly), and I found "chakki atta" (stone-ground whole durum wheat flour), generally used for Indian flatbreads. That's as close to whole wheat flour I was going to get.Unfortunately, on bake day I realized I had forgotten to pre-soak the cornmeal (polenta) the night before. Pumpkin Seed Atta Sourdough Batard (Crumb), Trial 1Keeping my composure, I substituted the cornmeal with atta and increased the water amount of the final dough. The result? A triple whammy: My loaf was under-hydrated, under-developed, and under-proofed. "You need to get back to the fundamentals," said Zita to himself, in a brash tone. Pumpkin Seed Atta Sourdough Batard, Trial 2Last Sunday I re-attempted my last formula. I omitted the cornmeal (replacing it with an atta soaker), increased the hydration of the dough, added more stretch and folds, and extended the proofing period of my dough. My efforts were rewarded with the above. Pumpkin Seed Atta Sourdough Batard, Trial 2Flavour profile: Due to negligence I over-cooked the crust, thus a bit bitter and smells more "roasted", coffee- and charcoal-like. Not necessarily a bad thing. The flesh was subtly sweeter than my last loaf, faintly sour (almost non-existent), and not as dry. Overall, a better, more acceptable loaf but still not good enough.Rainfall at a rice field in CambodiaWhat's the purpose of baking bread if you can't share it? I don't know about you, but it's disconcerting to bake something that stems from your heart and bar others from experiencing it.Good bread is hard to come by here in Cambodia, and I'm keen on propagating my love and joy in the form of sourdough. Perhaps I'll have that opportunity soon.Best wishes and jolly baking, fellow bakers,Zita

Authorities in Cambodia said Tuesday they are concerned over the rising levels of a dam in the country's western Battambang province as deadly floods continue to ravage the kingdom."I am concerned that if the water continues to rise toni...

Authorities in Cambodia said Tuesday they are concerned over the rising levels of a dam in the country's western Battambang province as deadly floods continue to ravage the kingdom."I am concerned that if the water continues to rise tonight, [the dam] will burst and water will spill into Battambang town,” Im Bunyou, a commune chief in Banan, one of 14 districts in the flood-hit province, told RFA's Khmer Service.He spoke as hundreds of families living near Kamping Pouy Basin, the dam located between two mountains in Ta Kream commune west of the provincial town, were evacuated as waters overflowed from some areas of the reservoir on Tuesday.Heavy rains since last month have caused floods in 15 of Cambodia's 23 provinces and left at least 83 people dead, according to the authorities.The Kamping Puoy reservoir was built during the brutal Khmer Rouge regime as part of its plan to irrigate the countryside around Battambang. Ta Kream commune chief Im Bunyou said dam waters have already flooded 54 houses and if the situation worsened, it would add to the problems in Battambang where all districts have been slammed by floods.In the Banan district, authorities used speed boats to evacuate some of the villagers to safe shelters, officials said.Nhim Vanda, first deputy chairman of the the National Committee for Disaster Management, confirmed that while 83 people had died in floods as of Monday, the figure was expected to rise with more than 800,000 people and 120,000 hectares (296,526 acres) of land already impacted by the disaster.Flash floods have hit all 14 districts in Battambang, leading to the evacuation of over 700 families working and residing near the Kamping Pouy reservoir, provincial governor Prach Chan was quoted by the Phnom Penh Post as saying.“[Yesterday] we decided to evacuate more than 100 people who live and work near Kamping Pouy reservoir because the dam is causing flash flooding and we want to avoid more drownings,” Chan said, adding that 10 people have already drowned in the province. Reported by RFA's Khmer Service. Translated by Samean Yun. Written in English by Parameswaran Ponnudurai.

After a nation-wide campaign that brought thousands of protesters on both sides of the issue out into the streets of Paris earlier this year, the French legislature approved a marriage equality bill by an overwhelming vote that wa...

After a nation-wide campaign that brought thousands of protesters on both sides of the issue out into the streets of Paris earlier this year, the French legislature approved a marriage equality bill by an overwhelming vote that was signed into law by President François Hollande the following month, making France the 14th state to allow same-sex couples to wed.
But some same-sex couples are discovering that they may be barred from marrying because of a quirk in French marital law, as RFI English reports:
Frenchwoman Lise and her Polish girlfriend Agnieszka have been together for three years. They were looking forward to getting married after France this year became the 14th country to legalise same-sex marriage, following months of bitter debate.
"We were also really happy because it meant that we were accepted by the society," Agnieszka said. "Then our relationship can be recognised, and we are not freaks or…"
"Different," Lise added.
But under a bilateral agreement signed between Poland and France in 1967, Agnieszka falls under Polish marriage law even while in France. Since Poland doesn’t recognise gay marriage, a French magistrate would have to overrule Polish law to approve the wedding.
Ten other countries fall into the same category as Poland for the purposes of French marriage law for same-sex couples: Algeria, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Cambodia, Kosovo, Laos, Montenegro, Morocco, Serbia, Slovenia and Tunisia. In a memo issued last week to French civil servants, the justice ministry wrote, "When a marriage is planned between two people of the same sex, and one of the future spouses is a national of one of these countries, the civil registrar cannot perform the marriage." Requests from such couples must be denied and sent to a magistrate, who will determine if the couple can wed on a case-by-case basis.
Christiane Taubira, France's justice minister and a strong proponent of marriage equality, said she would consider reconsidering the rules regarding binational same-sex marriages so that officials aren't specifically instructed to refuse couples' requests.
Last month, a French-Moroccan same-sex couple's marriage request in the town of Chambéry was refused on the couple's wedding day--after friends and family had travelled from Morocco and Belgium to celebrate the occasion. The couple plans to challenge the decision in court, since France does not enforce another aspect of Morocco's marriage laws that prohibit Muslims from wedding non-Muslims who have not converted.
(photo courtesy of Kalvin Ng and RFI English)

Posted at: Capitalistexploits.at The best investors I know place their bets according to probabilities. It's been over a decade since I moved my life and my capital to the far east. The fundamentals were too important to ignore, and ulti...

Posted at: Capitalistexploits.at The best investors I know place their bets according to probabilities. It's been over a decade since I moved my life and my capital to the far east. The fundamentals were too important to ignore, and ultimately the fundamentals lead to probabilities. The US government had a plan to counter the rapidly growing dominance of China in the Asia Pacific region. The Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) was Washington's grand plan to push through a 12 nation trade pact. This was part of a broader “Pivot to Asia” policy unveiled back in 2011. The APEC and ASEAN summits were to be Washington's chance to push forward and become a bigger player in Asia. The reasons are obvious. The US wants to enmesh itself more deeply into Asia, the fastest-growing economic region in the world today. Furthermore, Washington wishes to counter the rapidly growing influence of both Russia, but especially China throughout what is the largest emerging market region in the world today. Image courtesy of Patdollard.com Alas it was not to be. Instead Obama was grounded from playing with the other kids and forced to stay home, presiding instead over squabbling bureaucrats, all the while trying to keep Obamacare alive, and the debt ceiling from crashing down on his presidency. As embarrassing as his presidency has been thus far, and to be sure it has been incredibly embarrassing, losing Obamacare AND defaulting on the US's debt would be...well, his Opus! Instead of attending the APEC summit, and the ASEAN summit which follows closely on its heels, Obama sent his "brother from another mother", the increasingly inept and politically sterile, John “it was a rhetorical statement” Kerry. Anyone who has spent any length of time in Asia and done business here knows the unspoken rule. “Face” is extremely important. Failing to show up for an important meeting and sending a "lesser" in your place is considered insulting and rude. Little will likely be said in public about this, but the repercussions are typically far less subtle. Rest assured business deals will continue to be struck...just expect these to increasingly exclude Washington. Obama's policy of “Pivot Asia” rests on increasing military presence in the region, beginning with a much vaunted 2,500 marines to be stationed in Northern Australia by 2017. I find it interesting that the “pivot Asia” policy is led by military deployment. This "investment" will cost $1.6 billion, and that's just to build housing for the marines. If previous government "projected costs" are anything to go by, this expense will likely balloon. One does have to wonder how barracks for 2,500 marines can possibly cost $1.6 billion (for those without a calculator handy, that's $640,000 PER MARINE!). I hope those are damn nice barracks Mr. Obama! Oh, you poor US taxpayers. When is enough going to be enough? But, fear not...the debt ceiling will be raised to accommodate for this...and much, much more. When one considers investing or buying a business it's obvious that in order to be more profitable you need to curtail expenses as much as possible while generating more revenues at the same time. Common sense stuff, right? While Washington's strategy involves spending money (the military doesn't actually produce, they consume - unless you count blowing things up so friends of the politicos at Halliburton and Bechtel can rebuild it all with taxpayer dollars), which does more to antagonize the locals than bring willing reciprocal trade, we watch China leading with investment and business relationships. Last year when traveling through Laos, China's influence was exceptionally notable. The same is true in Cambodia, where some months back we held our last member Meet-Up. Up in Siem Reap, Cambodia's answer to the pyramids, where I spoke with hoteliers, developers and tourism operators China's influence is all present. In fact, I'd go so far as to say that increasingly Cambodia and Laos, and even Vietnam are becoming "clien

There’s a new smart app out there called Refresh, which seeks to eliminate small talk by providing users with detailed information about people they’re meeting with and suggesting topics of conversation. With that in mind, th...

There’s a new smart app out there called Refresh, which seeks to eliminate small talk by providing users with detailed information about people they’re meeting with and suggesting topics of conversation. With that in mind, the company has raised $10M from Redpoint Ventures, Charles River Ventures, and Foundation Capital.
Refresh looks at your calendar of events and creates instant dossiers of people that you’re planning to meet. The idea is to provide users with information that might be interesting or relevant to them as a way to build stronger connections between people.
What Refresh is doing isn’t exactly new — world leaders and diplomats have been reliant on briefing books and dossiers for gathering information about the people that they’re meeting for centuries. The same concept is applied by business leaders and C-level execs at major companies before they meet and so forth. The Refresh app hopes to make the same type of detailed information about people you’re meeting with available to all of us.
At the heart of the app is a real-time “insight engine” which was designed to pull information from hundreds of sources and surface data which is relevant to the user. As a result, each dossier created is completely personalized for the user who’s viewing it, based on information in common.
To get Refresh to work, users connect their iPhone calendars, along with any number of different social and email accounts to the app. That includes Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Gmail and Google apps, Google+, AngelList, Evernote, Foursquare, Yahoo, and iCloud. Once that’s done, Refresh will begin collecting information about people that you’re scheduled to meet with in real-time.
Then, when you look at a profile of someone in Refresh, the app instantly builds a dossier of information about the person. It does that by making about 200 different server calls and highlighting information that might be useful in your meeting.
The app serves to remind you of who you’re meeting with and why, and is designed to highlight information that you might not have thought about. For instance, it provides you with detailed jobs and education information about the person, and it highlights your past conversation history, telling you the first email and most recent email conversations that you’ve had.
Refresh points you to mutual friends that you might have on various social networks, as well as common interests you might have. For instance, maybe a contact went to the same college or high school as your significant other, or maybe the two of you root for the same sports teams — Refresh will point that out for you.
It also provides users with prompts for things to chat about, based on things that they’ve posted to social networks. The app might tell people that I’m meeting with, for instance, that I just got back from vacation a week or so ago, and prompt them to ask me about my favorite part of the trip. (Cambodia was awesome, btw.) And it’ll show off photos that have been shared, which could spark conversation between people.
While the idea behind Refresh might seem creepy to some — that is, providing a download of available information for someone you’re about to meet — the app maintains strict privacy controls in the data that it collects. It uses each individual user tokens for logging in to various social networks, so can only collect information that you would be able to view on your own. That said, the amount of data it’s able to piece together — even for people you’re not directly connected to — is incredibly detailed.
Refresh was founded in 2011 by Bhavin Shah, former co-founder and COO of Gazillion Entertainment, along with CTO Paul Tyma, who co-founded disposable email service Mailinator. There are a total of seven employees working on Refresh right now, with experience at Google, LinkedIn, and Mi

OK. I thought Cambodia was rustic this place is such a strange juxtaposition of modern derelict charming and dirty... It39s still difficult to have an opinion. We started out day yesterday taking a cab down to Independence Square. This ...

OK. I thought Cambodia was rustic this place is such a strange juxtaposition of modern derelict charming and dirty... It39s still difficult to have an opinion. We started out day yesterday taking a cab down to Independence Square. This is where past presidents such as Bill Clinton addressed the people of Ghana. The square itself resembles a sovietera cement pad with a golden Arch. Kind of